


Magic Spell

by Shortsnout



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Injuries, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-14
Updated: 2018-03-14
Packaged: 2019-03-31 07:43:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13970472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shortsnout/pseuds/Shortsnout
Summary: A request for a hurt/comfort fic with a hurt Ignis and lots of fluff!When Ignis is hurt protecting Noctis from a surprise attack, Noctis insists on staying at Ignis's apartment with him after he's discharged from hospital. Ignis's pride makes him cranky, the idea that he needs looking after abhorrent. After a little bit of TLC and a half-remembered magic spell from childhood, Noctis manages to make Ignis drop his guard, revealing things Ignis had been trying to keep hidden.





	Magic Spell

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mishafied](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mishafied/gifts).



> Hi all this was my request from Riluu on Tumblr who wanted a hurt Iggy with lots of fluff and a happy ending. I had a great time writing this and I hope you get just as much enjoyment out of reading it.

### Magic Spell

Sacrifice in the name of duty. Words that were imprinted on Ignis's soul, a mantra to live his life by. His life was not his alone, he was sworn to the Crown, devoted to the Crown Prince. 

He was under no illusion that if required he would give his very life to defend Noctis, trained daily knowing that one day his body might be the only thing left to defend the kingdom and his prince. 

They had been in the outlying territory of Duscae, getting Noctis used to life outside the sheltered Insomnia, showing his face to the Kingsglaive that fought to keep the Crown City and it's citizens safe. It was a simple trip really, in part a morale booster for the Glaives, and also a reminder that their allegiance would one day transfer over to Noctis. 

Bodies of the Glaives still haunted Ignis's dreams, the backs of his eyelids when he closed his eyes. The shouts of Gladio, overwhelmed with MT's and their experimental daemons, beseeching Ignis to help Noctis. Noctis's battle cry had been furious, his fighting nothing short of admirable. There were no signs of him slowing, body bathed in the blood of his foe, battle lust singing sweetly in his veins.

Then it had happened.

Ignis remembered the cold, bone-deep terror as he saw Noctis fall to the ground, sword brandished high above his head to parry off attacks.

There had been no thought, no logic, just impulse. 

Get to Noctis.

Inhuman strength surged through his veins. Ignis used his bare hands to rip those filthy abominations away from his charge. He helped Noctis get back on his feet, gritting his teeth as he felt the blow to his side. He ignored it to turn and fling himself back into the fray, knowing Noctis was right beside him.

It was perilous, Ignis felt the hand of death brush past him more than once, but he did not waver, did not leave Noctis's side. They fought back to back, until Gladio rejoined them, their last enemy felled by the shield. 

As they stood there panting, Ignis felt his head swim, the ground swaying underneath him. He was cushioned in arms slippery with blood, lowered to the floor. His vision darkened around the edges, Noctis's face hovering just above Ignis's, his huge, sapphire eyes filled with tears, mouth shaping words Ignis couldn't hear over the roar in his ears. 

Despite his limbs being heavy, exhaustion holding his body hostage now the adrenaline had burnt through his muscles, Ignis lifted a trembling arm up, fingertips pressing next the corner of Noctis's eye. 

_Don't cry._

He tried to say it, feeling his chest cave in agony as Noctis's words pierced the pounding in his ears.

'Don't leave me, Ignis!'

When he came to he was in a bed, a bleached white ceiling glaring down at him, his body cumbersome and sleep laden. Panic struck him when he couldn't move his hands or his legs. Gladio's face filled Ignis's vision, beard scruffier then Ignis was used to seeing, the whites of his eyes broken by red veins.

'You're alright.' The shield had soothed, pressing a finger to his lips, gaze shifting off to the side. He helped Ignis sit, allowing him to see Noctis sprawled over his legs, Ignis's hand squeezed tightly in his own. 

Noctis's face looked troubled, the space between his eyes furrowed, his grip on Ignis's hand fierce. Ignis was overcome with tenderness towards him, wanting to embrace him, reassure Noctis that Ignis would never, _ever_ leave him.

'He's been up for hours, I thought we were going to have to sedate him, he wouldn't let anyone near you. He fell asleep about half an hour ago, just slumped forward in exhaustion.' Gladio slid his hands under Noctis's shoulders, beginning to lift him from the bed.

'Leave him be, Gladio,' Ignis whispered, chest tight as he heard Noctis whimper, nails now digging into Ignis's hand as he was attempted to move.

'You need your rest too, Iggy, you're in pretty bad shape. Do you want me to get the Doctor?' Gladio rearranged Noctis so he was lying beside Ignis instead of on his legs.

Ignis shook his head, resting back against the pillows, taking the rare opportunity to feel Noctis laying beside him, pretending for a moment they weren't in the hospital.

'How bad are the injuries?' he asked, knowing Gladio was still hovering.

'Stab wounds to the torso and thigh. Your side was disgusting, the blade must have had poison or something coating it. Took them a while to flush it outta your system. There's a pretty ugly cut on the side of your neck too, but they seem to think it won't scar, pity.' Gladio's chest rumbled in a laugh.

'Just because you like them as adornments does not mean the rest of us do.' 

Ignis discharged himself as soon as he was able, ignoring Noctis's pleas that he stay, Gladio's concerns that his stubbornness was going to impede his recovery.

His injuries were no longer life-threatening, as long as he tended to himself the wounds would knit together, and they could do that just as well in the comfort of his own home.

'You're not going alone,' Noctis whispered, his hands clenched into fists, glaring down at the floor.

'Highness,' Ignis began.

'No.' Noctis looked up and Ignis took a step back at the anger in those eyes, the resolution. 'I come with you, or I order you to stay here. Pick.' 

Even Gladio was speechless, thunderstruck by this hint of their future king.

'Noctis, I can take care of myself-' 

'Gladio, restrain Ignis to the bed. I'll tell the Doctor that he's staying here.'

Gladio and Ignis looked at each other for a long moment before Gladio moved in compliance to the one he was sworn to.

'You cannot be serious, Gladio.'

'Kid's right Iggy, you're in no fit state to go home alone, besides, orders are orders.' His grin was huge and far too smug.

Ignis swung his head to look at Noctis, furious in the way he was being handled. His pride was bruised, battered. 

'Very well,' he seethed, ignoring the relief on Noctis's face. 

Now, here they were, in Ignis's apartment, Noctis cheerfully talking as he made himself at home, deliberately ignoring Ignis's deathly stares, the ominous aura Ignis emitted. 

Tending to Noctis was his job, permitting Noctis to see him vulnerable... it was unspeakable. 

He could not be weak for Noctis. The prince depended on him.

Ignis glowered at the floor from his place on the couch, arms folded across his chest, nails biting into his elbows. He flinched at feet entering his field of vision, tilting his head back to look at Noctis who was holding a steaming mug, a small smile on his face. 

'Someone once told me that having friends is important. That I should have people I can rely on, that I can trust. Friends that don't want a political advantage, that want to gain anything personally from a relationship with me.'

'And I stand by that statement, and you found it with Prompto.' Ignis took the mug, sighing as the tartness of the herbal fruit tea hit his nose.

No coffee allowed it seemed.

'Yes, and if he was hurt, I'd be dragging him to the hospital. Same with Gladio, despite it being his job to shield me. I'd be devastated if any of you were hurt, Ignis.' 

Ignis's head snapped up at this, Noctis's tone sounding broken, borderline tears.

'I thought I'd lost you.' 

He could barely hear his charge, shaking shoulders the only indication of his emotions. Standing, Ignis sought to embrace Noctis, but could only take a few steps before tumbling to his knees in agony.

'Hey, I've got you. Sorry, I'm meant to be looking after you, not depending on you.' Noctis got him to his feet, rubbing his eyes. 'I guess old habits die hard. Let me help you get to bed.' 

'Actually, before you restrain me to my bed for the duration of your stay, I'm in need of a shower.' Ignis knew the team at the hospital had cleaned him, but he could still feel the lingering taint of the battle.

'I don't think you're supposed to be getting wet, Ignis.' 

Ignis took a deep breath to quell his rapidly rising irritation, lest he say anything in spite to Noctis. 'That only applies for the first forty-eight hours after the stitches are in place, and they are not to be soaked. Now, if you'll excuse me,' Ignis barked, pushing Noctis aside and shuffling to the bathroom.

*** 

He rested his elbows on the tiles, lower arm flat against the surface, his hands taking the brunt of his weight. Ignis barely had enough strength to move, to use soap or shampoo, but the hot water made him feel like himself again, allowed him to take a breather from the concerned prying eyes of Doctors or Noctis. 

It was endearing, in a way, Noctis's concern. Misplaced, but endearing. 

Ignis struggled to suppress his feelings on the matter, imagining his mind slamming a lid on the clichéd box as it were. Noctis was caring towards all he held close, and Ignis was honoured that he held such a position. He tilted his head further under the spray, clenching his teeth as the water irritated the wound on his neck.

Noctis needed him to be a stable force, a guiding hand. The things Ignis was before the accident. The things King Regis had asked him to be. Taking a deep breath he straightened his spine, reaching for the soap. He needed to get well, or at least hide the pain he was in better.

Standing the shower he'd been favouring his uninjured leg, now he balanced his weight evenly, trusting his injured leg to withstand the load.

He crumpled to the floor.

Ignis bit his tongue in frustration, swallowing down the agonized scream wanting to escape. He was weak, pathetic. The scalding water from the shower pelted him, and Ignis clasped his hand around the wound on his thigh, blood oozing from it, mixing with the water. 

Searing heat prickled at his eyes, the pain crystallising into a hard lump at the back of his throat.

He would not weep.

'Come on, up we go.' Hands pulled him to his feet and out of the shower, a warm towel wrapping around his hips.

'Noct?' Ignis muttered, feeling his vision blur. His arm was drawn over broad shoulders, Noctis's warmth seeping into his cooling skin. 

'You're alright Ignis, I've got you, I promise.' They shuffled together, Noctis supporting most of Ignis's body weight.

'Noctis, release me, I'm fine.' Ignis muttered, struggling to put more weight on his feet.

'Yeah yeah I know, let me get you to the bed, then I'll leave you alone,' Noctis grunted, kicking Ignis's bedroom door open with his foot, hoisting Ignis on his shoulder a little more.

When had Noctis gotten so strong?

With surprisingly gentle hands, Noctis laid him back on the bed, panting slightly.

'Guess Gladio's training paid off. Lay back.' Noctis made him recline into the pillows, leaving to disappear into the bathroom, returning with another towel. Starting at Ignis's feet he dried them, moving up his legs, then rubbing his hands and arms down before swiping over his chest.

'Do you think you could lean forward?' Noctis asked, breathless.

Despite every urge he had telling him not to, Ignis did so, suppressing a smile as he felt the towel drop on his head, the tender rubs Noctis gave his hair in towelling him off. 

'There, that ought to do it.' Noctis sat on the bed beside him, running his fingers through the wet strands. 'You know, I think I prefer you with your hair down like this, more like the Ignis I remember,' Noctis laughed. 

Ignis could literally feel his skin prickling at the touch, his scalp tingling, sending tingles across his body.

'Can I dress your wound? Or would you rather I brought the stuff in here for you? You need your painkillers don't-'

'Noctis,' Ignis interrupted, 'I'm perfectly capable of-'

'No, Ignis you're not.' Noctis's voice was stern. 'Stay there, I'll get your painkillers and then you will stay here until it's time for dinner.' 

It threw Ignis, just for a moment. He wasn't used to this Noctis, the one who could take charge by himself, who could command.

That didn't need him.

'I do not need you to baby me. I do not need your pity or any such foolish emotions. Now for the last time, Noctis. Leave me be.' Anger was in his words, but it was fear that fuelled them. 

Noctis's eyes widened for a moment, before he stood back, arms crossed over his chest.

'Fine, get the medicine and bandages yourself,' he challenged Ignis.

Drat.

They glared at each other, locked in a stalemate.

'When you care about someone, you look after them,' Noctis said cryptically, leaving the room.

Ignis heard him rattling around the living room and kitchen. Ignis stared up at the ceiling his anger fading and exhaustion sweeping over him. He recognised the words from somewhere, but couldn't place his finger on it.

Clarity hit him in an instant.

Childhood. 

_They sat on Noctis's bed as Ignis cleaned a scrape on Noctis's knee with antiseptic, applying a plaster to it before dropping a kiss over it._

_'Why'd you do that for?' Noctis asked, wide-eyed._

_'It's what you're supposed to do when hurt,' Ignis informed him._

_'Says who?'_

_Ignis went to tell him it was a mother's job, but then clammed up, not wanting to dredge up a painful reminder that Noctis had no one to fill that role for him._

_'When you're looking after someone, when you care about them, it's what you do, to help them feel better.'_

_'Like a magic spell?' Noctis leant forward, eyes bright and sparkling with childish wonder that had made Ignis smile._

_'Yes, like a magic spell. Do you feel better?'_

_'Yup, let's go play!'_

It felt like an age ago. 

Ignis didn't realise his eyes had closed until he felt weight dipping the bed beside him. 

'I'll be quick, promise. Then you can go to sleep.'

'Remember to do your homework,' Ignis's voice was thick, sleep threatening.

'Stop worrying about me,' Noctis sighed, finger tapping on Ignis's lip. 

Ignis jolted, eyes snapping open, mouth parted allowing Noctis to drop the medicine on his tongue. He swallowed it without the water Noctis held out, his charge shaking his head in response and placing it on his bedside table.

Skimming the edge of his towel, Noctis pushed it up his thighs to get at the wound. He gave him a sad look when he mistook Ignis's sharp inhale for pain.

'Sorry, I'm trying to be careful.' Hands rubbed his knees in affection. Noctis was quick at applying a new gauze pad and wrapping the bandage around his leg, Gladio's brief medical training for being out in the field also paying off.

Fingertips teased Ignis's ribs, bathing him in an altogether different type of agony. Noctis made short work of that wound, face close to Ignis's skin as he tied it in place.

'I'm sorry,' he whispered as he applied the last gaze to the gash on Ignis's neck.

'I couldn't allow you to be hurt,' Ignis answered after a pause.

Noctis's hands stilled, head lowering, peeking at Ignis through his dark hair.

'I know, need me to rule Lucis one day right?'

Ignis reached out his arm, biting the inside of his cheek, refusing to let any pained gasp leave. His index finger tipped Noctis's head back, meeting his gaze clearly, without any hiding behind hair.

'It has nothing to do with that.'

He would stand by Noctis's side until the end of time, be whatever Noctis needed him to be. It was his duty, his obligation and pride. His feelings had no bearing on the matter, but they were another reason nevertheless. 

The vision of Noctis went fuzzy before him, the medication dragging him to the depths of slumber. 

*** 

Hands restrained him, his feet sinking into viscous mud. Noctis was prone on the floor, unmoving, vulnerable to the MT grasping the back of his neck. Metal hands cruelly grasped dark hair, jerking the prince up, exposing the column of Noctis's throat, a sharpened blade ready to meet him.

Ignis struggled, screamed, wrenched his very bones from their sockets as he tried to move.

He was powerless to stop the blade coming down, helpless to watch as the thing he cared most about was ripped from him.

Noctis's name was torn from his throat, Ignis slumping forward as he saw the crimson drip down the blade. 

No.

Not like this.

'Ignis,' Noctis's voice pleaded. He was still alive, despite his skin being the pallor of death, the bloodless lips. 

Ignis recoiled from the invisible restraints on him, still struggling to get to his charge. The MT turned to look at him, soulless eyes dark and fathomless, icy pits that pierced Ignis's soul.

'Wake up, Ignis, come on!'

Ignis was dragged from the scene, suddenly finding himself staring at a dark t-shirt, Noctis's familiar scent curling around him. He could feel an arm around his back, a hand in his hair. 

'There you are.' Noctis braced himself as Ignis flung his arms around him, clutching onto him for dear life. 'I'm alright, I'm here, it was just a bad dream.'

'I thought, oh heavens, Noct-' Ignis's voice broke, tears seeping from clenched eyelids.

'You were back at Duscae?' Noctis spoke into his hair, his exhale heavy as Ignis nodded against his chest. 'I'm not going anywhere, Ignis.'

Ignis could feel his heart hammering in his chest, cold sweat prickling his skin. His wounds were on fire from where they were pressing against Noctis, but he shifted closer, hearing Noctis's heartbeat firmly underneath his ear, feeling his chest rise and fall in even breaths.

It took him a few moments to claw himself back together, to be any semblance of the man Noctis knew him to be.

'I apologise, Noctis. This isn't proper of me.'

'Proper?' Ignis's head bounced as Noctis laughed. 'Iggy, how many times have you had to comfort me from a nightmare? Seen me at my worst? Don't be an idiot,' Noctis teased. They lay there for a few moments before Noctis shimmed down into Ignis's line of sight, his eyes vibrant even in the dim light. 'I'm a jerk at times, and I don't really tell you enough, but you mean a lot to me Ignis. I want to help you too, and...' Noctis broke off, gaze sliding to the side. 'I'm glad I got to see you like this, it shows you're human, not completely aloof. I want to stay with you till you feel better.' 

'I'm supposed to be strong for you,' Ignis whispered into Noctis's chest, feeling safe in the cocoon the two of them had created, shrouded in blankets and Noctis's warm arms, the fear of Noctis being taken from him still not entirely dissipated.

'I've always felt safe with you and Gladio, you two are an impenetrable force,' Noctis sighed, Ignis recognised his pause as taking a moment to think. 'Ignis, showing me your vulnerabilities makes me feel like you can trust me, I don't think you're weak.' He leant forward pressing his lips to Ignis's head. 'I could never think you as weak.'

'Noct-'

'A magic spell to make you feel better, right?' Noctis chuckled.

'You remembered that?' Ignis felt his cheeks heat.

'Course. Ignis... I'm sorry I can't heal you.' Ignis felt Noctis's body tense, hands scraping across the mattress as they clenched into fists. 

'One day, Noctis. You've already got real magic flowing in your veins, it won't be too much longer till you'll harness it.'

He should have told the prince to return to his spot on the couch, but feeling Noctis's ribs expand under his arms in a yawn, Ignis didn't have the heart to, instead shifting his body into a more comfortable position, Noctis accommodating himself around him.

Ignis was on the precipice of sleep when he felt a hand curl around his own, fingers entwining, lips brushing across his knuckles. 'Maybe, on that day, you'll notice me, Ignis.' 

*** 

Ignis had always found change...uncomfortable. He liked things ordered, precise and could get thrown if things deviated from the set plan. Noctis's words, while unnerving had sparked a rare hope inside him, one that he cradled and nurtured with what if's over the next few days. 

He felt as though he was in a waking dream for most of the daylight hours, his painkillers keeping him in a trance-like state. In his rare lucid periods, he was aware of Noctis coming in and out of the room, feeding him, helping him shuffle to the bathroom, redressing his wounds.

Ignis had become sick at some point on Noctis's watch. He could recall hands holding him as he vomited, a cool cloth on his brow, soothing words that made Ignis burrow closer. In his weakest moments he reached his hand out, delirious and Noctis was always there to clasp it, to squeeze back in reassurance. 

He could remember half snatched conversations, Noctis reciting information to himself as he studied, Noctis speaking with him about random topics, Ignis's garbled responses. 

It had become an expectation that if Ignis woke in the night, Noctis would be there sleeping beside him, whether it was to ward off any more potential nightmares or just to reassure Ignis that he was safe, he didn't know.

It was one of those nights in which Ignis had found himself awake, free from the fog clouding his mind, his wounds still agonizing but he was unwilling to sacrifice the mental clarity he wanted by taking painkillers.

What could Noctis possibly mean by _notice me?_ Was it a reference to part of his job Ignis had not been fulfilling? A desire to take on more responsibility perhaps? He lifted his hand to his face studying it. That did not explain the kiss to his hand. In all honesty, it made Ignis's stomach turn that a prince was bestowing such a kiss to one such as himself.

Yet.

His stomach flipped for different reasons. It was possible Noctis was pledging his devotion to Ignis. Noctis was not a fool, he was well versed in court politics, what gestures constituted what responses. He movements, his actions _had_ to be thought out, one could not misstep in the word of politics.

Ignis knew, he was the one who had taught Noctis so.

Noctis murmured in his sleep, wriggling closer to Ignis. Mesmerised, Ignis shifted down, lying gingerly on his side, hand resting on the side of Noctis's face. His charge nuzzled into it, lifting his hands to clutch at Ignis's shirt.

Ignis stayed awake for a long time that night. 

 

*** 

It was another week later that Ignis found himself awake again at night, his wounds still a throbbing nuisance, but now tolerable. He felt able to sit up in bed, to stretch his arms without excruciating effect. He looked to the side of the bed expecting Noctis to be there, startling when he saw it empty. Sliding his hand over the sheets, he found them cold.

Noctis had been gone a while.

Concerned, Ignis managed to swing his legs out of bed, relieved he could get to his feet without feeling overwhelmed with dizziness. Tentatively taking a few steps forward and then back, he found the gash on his thigh pained him a little, but not in anyway impeding his movement.

Progress indeed.

He swiped his phone from the bedside cabinet, turning it on to see the time. It was four in the morning and yet he was wide awake and worried for Noctis. It wasn't like him not to sleep. Berating himself for being overbearing, knowing full well that Noctis had probably just retired for the night back on the couch, he left his room stealthily not wanting to wake him. 

'What are you doing out of bed?' Noctis's voice accused as Ignis shut his bedroom door behind him.

'I'm feeling more like myself, and very much awake.' 

Noctis left his post from the window, padding over to Ignis, peering up at him, the back of his hand on Ignis's brow.

'You don't seem to have a temperature anymore,' Noctis spoke softly to himself. 'You seem normal. You hungry? It's early, but I'm guessing you must be starving.' 

'What were you doing out here?'

'Out here? Oh, I couldn't sleep.' Noctis turned his face away, gesturing to the dark window. 'You can see the stars better here, there's too much light pollution at my place.' 

'What were you gazing at?' As Ignis moved to the window, he saw his old astronomy book, the one Noctis used to borrow and draw all over when he was a child. He felt a surge of fondness rise up in him, smiling as he recalled a young Noctis sitting between his legs, demanding Ignis tell him the wonders of the night sky. 

'I was trying to find Leviathan's tail, I remember you telling me about it, and I can never seem to find it.' Noctis picked up the book, frowning at it. 

'And here I'm the one wearing glasses,' Ignis teased, crossing his arms over his chest.

'You don't need to wear them, you and your need for _perfect clarity_ ,' Noctis intoned in Ignis's accent.

'I dislike ambiguity.' 

'You look better without them, handsome even. Your eyes are...' Noctis trailed off, clearing his throat.

'Are what, Noctis?' Ignis found himself needing to know.

Ignis could pinpoint the exact moment Noctis grasped his courage, the setting of the jaw, the biting of his lip.

'Well...they're beautiful, Ignis.' 

Ignis felt winded, as though Noctis had plunged his hand into his very chest and squeezed his heart. He turned away to gaze at the night sky, feeling his body sway that had nothing to do with his recent dizziness. Ignis easily found what Noctis sought in the inky darkness of the sky, the cluster of seven stars that curled in a loop.

'Look there,' Ignis pointed his finger, body tensing as Noctis moved underneath his outstretched arm, back pressing against Ignis's chest as he tried to follow Ignis's finger. 'Can you...' he cleared his throat. 'Can you see?'

'No,' Noctis huffed in frustration.

Ignis shifted behind Noctis, jaw on Noctis's shoulder. 'Keep your sight along my arm. There are the prongs of Ifrit's horns, and above that is the curl of Leviathan's tail. They're faint.' Ignis let his gaze drift down, to where Noctis pressed his head nearer his arm, feeling his charge move closer.

'No, where Ignis?' Either Noctis was being deliberately obtuse or... well, that didn't bear thinking about. 

He inclined his head closer, whispering into Noctis's ear. 'Follow Ifrit's horns north...there you see that one bright star?' Ignis was certain he heard Noctis's hitched breath as he breathed the words into his ear.

'I see it,' Noctis murmured, his swallow loud. 

Ignis dropped his arm to his side, but made no effort to move, watching, waiting to see what Noctis would do next. Noctis remained still, and Ignis could see the rapid pulse leaping under the delicate skin of the prince's neck. 

It was Noctis who broke the stalemate, cheek pressing against Ignis's.

Captivated, Ignis's hand reached up, fingers trailing over Noctis's cheek, index finger encouraging Noctis's head to turn, to tilt up to his. Noctis went willingly, pink staining his cheeks, mouth parted.

'Ignis,' he whispered sweetly, pleading, imploring. 

He moved down, rubbing his nose alongside Noctis's, brushing a kiss on his brow. He pulled back for the barest of moments, watching Noctis's eyes flutter shut, smiling as Noctis gasped when Ignis ran the pad of his thumb against his lower lip.

Noctis's hand came up, eager to pull Ignis down, to close the remaining gap between them. He clasped Ignis's shoulder, nails digging in. 

Pain tore at his collarbone and Ignis stumbled a few steps back.

'Ignis? Oh, Gods! Are you ok?' Noctis panicked, scrambling to get closer, halting as Ignis held up a hand. 

'It's just the stitches.'

Noctis hung his head, shame evident in his posture. 

'I'm fine, Noctis, do not be concerned.'

They stood there, gazing at each other, their breathing heavy but for different reasons. 

Ignis's didn't know what to do, how to get back to where they were a moment before. Noctis looked as though he was about to shed tears over inadvertently hurting him. 

'Come, let's get some breakfast while we are both awake.' Ignis left Noctis standing by the window.

'Ignis...did I?' Noctis began, his voice losing confidence.

'Did you what?' Ignis waited, wanting something, a confirmation, acknowledgement of what nearly happened, reassurance that he wasn't misreading the situation.

'Never mind, sit down, I'll make you something.' Noctis nudged him towards the dining room table with a hand on his lower back. 

Ignis squinted at the harsh light filling his studio apartment as Noctis flicked on the kitchen light but otherwise didn't protest. He rested his head on his hand, elbow propped up on the table as he watched Noctis move around his kitchen. 

He was cautious of this new...development. The fragile hope he had felt days ago now blazed fiercely. The indication that Noctis might have a romantic attachment towards him made feelings Ignis had long suppressed flair up in fury, threatening to consume him. It was still possible that Ignis was misreading the situation, seeking things in the friendship that weren't there. That it had just been a romantic, starlit allusion that both of them had been entangled in. 

However, Ignis had spent much of his life anticipating Noctis's needs. What kind of advisor was he if he didn't know what Noctis was thinking before the man himself did?

 _Yes,_ Ignis thought to himself, feeling a smile curve his lips as Noctis looked over his shoulder at Ignis, a blush heavy on his cheeks. _He feels something_.

***

When Ignis woke next he had a plan in mind to find out once and for all how Noctis felt, he only needed the courage to see it through. The prince was once again missing from his bed, and Ignis felt heat flame his cheeks at the implications of the words.

Missing. From his bed.

He could hear muffled words from his living room, Noctis speaking with someone. Probably Gladio, come to check on Ignis himself. His hand froze on his door handle as he heard Noctis raise his voice in anger.

'It's not like that Prompto!' 

Ignis leant with his back against the door, listening to the snatches of conversation he could hear.

'Yeah, I know... uh huh, of course I miss being with you, Prom. I've _got_ to be here.' 

Ignis banged his forehead with his fist.

Of course.

He'd had suspicions that Noctis's friendship with the civilian might turn into something more, it was an alluring prospect, being intimate with someone who cared solely for you, rather than the Crown. 

Ignis had been presumptuous to believe Noctis might have felt something other than guilt in staying, clasping hold of a foolish fragile wish, nursing it to his heart.

Anger climbed his throat, poisonous bile that choked him, scalding him. Anger at himself for daring to hope, for seeing this as anything but guilt on Noctis's behalf. Irrational anger at Noctis for crushing Ignis's idiotic idea.

No longer.

He left the room, ignoring Noctis's stricken face, the way he hastily ended the phone call in guilt.

'Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you.' Noctis put his phone away, his smile bright, but forced.

Acid dripped on Ignis's wounds, not the physical ones, but the fresh one carved on his heart.

'You can leave now, Highness.' It was too easy to fall back on etiquette, the aloof advisor mask easily slipping back into place.

'Ignis? What?'

'I am perfectly capable of looking after myself. The wounds have almost healed, I no longer require pain medication, your assistance is no longer needed.' 

_You_ are no longer needed.

Noctis got the hidden message, his eyes going wide, hurt evident.

'But...I thought...this was more than that,' Noctis whispered.

Ignis wavered, powerless to Noctis's distress as always. He took a half step forward instinctively, seeking to comfort Noctis. He held an iron grip on the feelings, making his feet still. The fear of losing each other, of being mortal, guilt, gratitude, it had forced them into this farce. He needed to be cruel to be kind, to return to what Noctis needed him to be, what the prince needed him to be.

'I don't need you to help me, Noctis, you're just getting in my way. Why can't you understand that I want you to leave me be? I thought better of you, that you weren't this conceited, that not everything revolves around you and your whims.' 

Noctis froze, hands falling to his sides. He took a deep swallow, before his head fell, chin touching his chest. 'I'm sorry, I just thought...this is what friends do for each other.' 

'We aren't friends, Noctis.'

Ignis believed he could hear his heart shattering inside him, like crystal china breaking with the sound on mute, the splinters embedding in his flesh. Noctis squeezed his eyes shut, body recoiling as though he took an actual physical blow. Ignis didn't move as Noctis spun on his heel and left his apartment, didn't move as he felt his own eyes stinging, didn't move as the sun set behind him, plunging his home in shadow.

The silence was palpable. 

Ignis let his eyes adjust to the gloom, picturing Noctis's tear-filled eyes in his head, the pain he had inflicted because he himself had been hurting, betrayed by Noctis's words, betrayed by his own damn expectations.

He could feel the dark poison of loneliness killing him increments. The fragments of his tattered soul in pieces before him.

No.

This was for the best.

***

'How you doing?' Gladio's voice was gruff, booming, filling up his small apartment.

'Well enough thank you. The Council have allowed me to resume some of my work remotely and the wounds are practically healed. I should be able to attend to my duties the week commencing.'

'Good, the kid is doing shit by the way. Moping, not sleeping or eating right.'

There was a hollow feeling in Ignis's stomach, a headache pounding behind his eyes from exhaustion and tears shed. His heart shrivelled at Gladio's words. 

Noctis was hurting because of him? He had assumed Noctis would brush it off, would be glad not to baby-sit him, go back to his carefree life with Prompto. 

'You hurt him, didn't you?' Gladio crossed his arms, eyes narrowed as he glared.

'I am perfectly capable of attending to my own-'

'Cut the crap Ignis, I get it alright.' Gladio pulled a chair out from the table, spinning it backwards so he straddled it, resting his arms across the back of it, his gaze never leaving Ignis.

'It's our job to look after him, to be strong where he can't be, to think for him, guide him and make sure he ends up on the throne and stays there. Somewhere along the line, for me at least, he stopped being Prince Noctis and became Noct, my friend.'

Ignis pulled the chair opposite out, sitting and listening.

'I've lost my cool around him before, acted like a jerk, and you know what... that's what friends do Ignis. So come on, what he say to make you lose it? I'm guessing you must have told him off, he only ever looks like this after you've shouted at him.'

'I do not _shout_ at him, Gladio!' Ignis scoffed.

'Not often no, only when he's being a shit, and he always mopes like this. Like he's a little lost puppy.' Despite Gladio berating Ignis, the shield wore a massive grin thinking of the image.

'That I was being a burden on him. That he would rather spend time with Prompto than myself.' 

'The kid said that? Six, I knew he could be an idiot, but that's just plain stupid.' Gladio's voice was exaggerated as he leant forward, knowing he had Ignis on the ropes.

'In not so many words, but the implication was there.'

'You overheard half a conversation and twisted it to suit your needs, your own insecurities warping it.'

Ignis knew, or was pretty certain, that Gladio didn't know of his feelings towards their charge, and was fighting Ignis on behalf of hurt feelings, of a broken friendship.

The idea that Noctis was in an intimate relationship with Prompto, with someone other than him...It stung. It was a pathetic, a weakness of his character. He wasn't supposed to become tangled in these feelings for Noctis, to become distracted from his duty.

'Noctis wanted to be here to look after you, even I could see that Iggy and I'm not his advisor. You're that proud that you couldn't allow him to do that?'

'I'm supposed to be strong for him!' Ignis snapped, banging his fist down on the table, shocking them both into silence. 'He's not supposed to take care of me or feel pity for me. What sort of advisor am I if I cannot help him properly?'

Gladio surprised him in reaching out for Ignis's wrist, curling his hand around it in a loose hold.

'I get it alright. It scares me too. Sometimes it keeps me up at night. What's going to happen to Noctis, to Lucis if I fall, if I fail? I worry that if something happens to me I'll lose him Ignis, not the prince, but Noct.' 

'How do you bare such a burden?' Ignis felt his head fall forward. 'Noctis has never seen you as anything as the steadfast shield.'

'That's my own cross to bear. Noctis has seen me weak, falter.' Gladio raised his eyebrow over his scarred eye. 'It made me human in his eyes, not just a _thing_ that prevents him from dying. And, in a way, it made us stronger because I trusted him, and now he trusts me more.' Gladio stood up. 'Say sorry to him Ignis, and try not to be so proud.' 

***

It was a few days later, early in the morning that Ignis had his chance. He heard his front door creak open, his body trained just as Gladio's to be on his guard for intruders. It was the soft footfalls and the muttered curse of _'damn it,'_ that made him relax.

He watched Noctis from his kitchen for a few moments, knowing the prince hadn't realised he was home yet. Noctis was placing files down on his dining room table, ordering them into Ignis's filing system that he liked using.

Gladio was right, he looked terrible. Pale, washed out, with dark smudges under his eyes. Ignis felt shame grip him, prying inside his chest with accusing fingers.

He had done this, he had hurt Noctis for no good reason. Ignis felt his own failure drive into his stomach like a honed blade.

'Noctis,' he whispered, feeling the ache deepen as Noctis whipped around to face him, fear widening his eyes and making his lips tremble.

'I thought...sorry. I didn't come here to disturb you. Cor asked me to give these to you before the weekend. So...here they are. See you at the Citadel.' Noctis bowed his head, attempting to retreat.

'Noctis...wait.' 

Noctis did, arms tight at his sides, hands curled into fists.

'I'm sorry I said those heinous things to you. I overheard your phone call to Prompto...' 

The prince's shoulders drew up, his tension evident.

'I should have asked you what it meant, instead of thinking the worst, that you believed me to be a burden on you.'

Ignis felt his despair deepen as the silence grew, the fear that he had damaged whatever relationship they once had thick and clouding his mind. He turned to the documents, allowing Noctis to leave if he wished.

Noctis clutched hold of Ignis's hand, the touch fleeting, a graze of fingertips.

'That wasn't what we were talking about, Ignis. Prompto thought me being here was a bad idea because I was...well... torturing myself in a way.' The contact dropped, and Ignis found himself turning, transfixed by blue eyes pleading with him.

'I thought you to be in a relationship with Prompto?' 

'Prom?' Noctis spluttered, nose wrinkling in his distaste. 'What? No, Ignis!'

'You said you missed spending time with him,' Ignis pressed.

'Of course I do, he's my friend, my very needy friend,' Noctis grumbled. 

So...

'Why would you be torturing yourself, Noctis?'

'Listen, I don't want anything to change between us ever, so don't feel like you have to reciprocate or anything, I'm content with how things are, honest.'

Ignis felt his stomach lurch.

'What are you trying to tell me, Noctis?'

'I...care about you, Ignis, a lot. I took advantage of you being injured to spend time with you, I'm sorry.' 

'I care about you too Noctis, more than I can put into words. I'm sorry I insinuated we aren't friends. Simply put, you are everything to me Noctis.' 

A blush formed over Noctis's cheeks, like a red ink drop spreading over wet paper.

'I don't think you understand, Ignis. It's different than the way I feel towards Prompto and Gladio. I don't want things...ambiguous between us.'

'I see,' Ignis allowed himself to move forward, to encircle Noctis's waist with his arms, holding him loosely. Noctis held still, uncertain what Ignis was doing. After a few moments, he lifted his hands to rest on Ignis's forearms and leant forward to press his head against Ignis's chest.

'I need to change the dressings on my wounds. Perhaps...if it is not too much trouble, you could assist me?'

 

***

Ignis reclined on his bed, back against the headboard, shirt off as Noctis sat beside him. Noctis was on his knees, the warmth of his body seeping into the side of Ignis's leg. He was gentle at peeling off the gauze off the wound on his thigh, fingers trailing around the unblemished skin beside it. After reapplying the gauze and bandage, Noctis dropped a light kiss on it.

Noctis did the same with the wound across his ribs, only this time pressing the kiss to the skin beside the angry ruby wound, his lips searing Ignis's flesh. 

He struggled to get to Ignis's neck, resigning himself to getting up and walking around the bed to Ignis's side. Ignis surprised them both, lifting Noctis under the shoulders and placing him carefully on his lap, mindful of any wounds, or any other...potential problems. 

Noctis's fingers shook as he quickly worked at his task on Ignis's neck, his eyes never straying from the task at hand. Ignis's hands stayed firm on Noctis's hips, both to hold Noctis still and to ground himself. When finished, Noctis's gaze finally met Ignis's, peering through dark lashes before slowly stretching forward, waiting to see if Ignis would object or stop him in any way. 

He could feel Noctis's breath against his chin, could smell the citrus shampoo Noctis used, making Ignis feel light-headed, floating in euphoria. The kiss was fleeting, a timid brush of lips against his neck but Ignis could feel it, long after Noctis moved away.

'Do you feel better?' Noctis whispered. Ignis was ensnared in that gaze, the beguiling blue orbs.

'Not quite,' Ignis murmured, shifting Noctis on his lap so their heads were level. 

'My magic spell not strong enough?' Noctis's voice was soft, teasing, but a vulnerability lay underneath, the uncertainty of what Ignis was going to do making him nervous. 

'No, it soothed the wounds. However, you missed one.' 

Noctis's gaze immediately lowered, eyes narrowed in confusion, trailing over Ignis's body seeking out any wounds he had missed.

'Here,' Ignis tilted his head back up with a finger under the jaw, tapping his own lips with a forefinger.

Noctis smiled, a small, shy smile, his hand stretching forward to cup Ignis's face, thumb sweeping over his jaw. Ignis closed his eyes, leaning into the hand, heart thumping in his chest when he felt Noctis's breath ghosting over his mouth. 

Lips were soft, hesitant against his own, hand sweeping back to clutch the nape of Ignis's neck, tangling in his hair. As Ignis went to respond, Noctis was pulling away, crimson staining his cheeks. 

'Better?' His prince asked, taking his hand away.

'No,' Ignis snapped, surging forward, hands grasping hold of Noctis's head. His lips were firm against surprised ones, eliciting a small moan from Noctis's mouth. He allowed Ignis to coax his plush lips open, eagerly meeting Ignis's tongue, twining it with his own. Noctis's hand came to rest on Ignis's chest, undoubtedly feeling Ignis's heart racing under his palms.

Noctis made the most _mesmerizing_ sounds. A kittenish mewl as Ignis sucked on his bottom lip, a gasp as Ignis scratched his blunt nails at the base of Noctis's skull, a plea of his name as Ignis broke the kiss enough to rub his nose against Noctis's before swooping down and enticing Noctis into another kiss.

Both only broke away to take a breath, before frantically pressing their lips together again, both trying to prove to the other how they felt. Noctis shifted closer, arms looping around Ignis's neck, his touch inquisitive and shy, adoring and gentle. Ignis felt his soul soar, wanting to weep at the very feeling.

As they took a longer pause, their foreheads pressed together. Noctis's hair was messed up, lips swollen and pink, eyes dark and piercing.

'Ignis?' Noctis hesitantly asked. 'Do you-'

'Noctis. I have _always_ loved you.'

Noctis's eyes screwed shut, a relieved breath escaping him. 

'Thank Gods.'

Ignis caught him as he slumped forward, mindful of his wounds, clutching his prince back just as fiercely. He could feel Noctis shaking under his arms and he embraced tighter as he felt a sprinkle of tears against his collarbone.

'Noct-'

'I always planned to tell you one day in the future, but then you were hurt...I thought I'd lost you. Then you hated me being in your apartment, and it felt like everything I was doing was only pissing you off more...'

Ignis drew back, holding Noctis's face in his hands, watching as his prince cried for a second time because of him. 

'Hush,' he soothed, sweeping his thumb to catch the tears, kissing away a few stray ones. 'It was my fear of weakness that made me lash out. I was afraid of losing you if you saw how weak I truly was. I was obscured by the illusion of what I thought you needed me to be.' Ignis stroked his hands over every inch of Noctis he could reach. Luscious, flawless skin, muscles honed through dedication, a ferocious strength of will beneath but still a guarded, fragile heart. A heart that Noctis was offering to Ignis.

Despite their kisses, Ignis could hardly believe Noctis was sitting on him, still breathless, his love and affection shining so clearly from his eyes that Ignis thought he must have been blind to have missed it.

'Does this mean?' Noctis reached forward, linking their fingers together.

'I'm just as much yours as you are mine.' Ignis swore, sealing the promise with another chaste kiss. 'And when I'm fully recovered I'll prove it to you,' Ignis's purred the words, delighted to see the deep flush on Noctis's chest, the heavy bob of his Adam's apple. 

'Well, maybe I'll just have to keep kissing these until they heal. Who knows, maybe with a little _incentive_ my magic will come quicker,' Noctis teased, pressing a kiss to Ignis's neck again.

'Oh, I don't know about that, Noct. You are bewitching and you hold me entirely spellbound. I'd say that's magic all on its own, the rest can come later.'

'I'm torn between calling you cheesy and throwing myself at you,' Noctis laughed, snuggling onto Ignis's chest, tucking his head under his jaw. Ignis rested his chin on top of the dark messy hair, breathing deep. 

'I'll take the throwing yourself at me option,' Ignis smiled at Noctis's chuckling. 'But for now, let's see how many more of those magic spells you can bestow upon me hmm?'

As Ignis leant down, Noctis was right there, waiting for his kiss.


End file.
